


Midnight Letters

by kitkattz



Category: Homestuck
Genre: A lot of this is just jake having kinky sex with his hot vampre bf, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Explicit Sexual Content, Gay, Human/Vampire Relationship, Interspecies Sex, M/M, Sex, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Vampire AU, Vampires, Vampirestuck, dirkjake - Freeform, the whole strider bloodline is vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:28:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23974504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitkattz/pseuds/kitkattz
Summary: Dirk Strider is hopelessly in love with his boyfriend of four years, Jake English, but he's been keeping a deadly secret.
Relationships: Jake English/Dirk Strider
Comments: 46
Kudos: 44





	1. Chapter 1

Dirk sighed lightly, watching as Jake's sleeping form curled toward him for the third time that night. He couldn't sleep with Jake so close like that; the damn cravings had gotten to a point where Dirk was continuously cursing his own existence. It would be easier to just tell Jake, get it off his back for now. Of course, that could turn out terrible; Jake could be a hunter, or know hunters, and that would only end in Dirk's untimely demise. There was also the fact that Jake would probably lose a lot of the trust he had built up with Dirk; the two had been dating for almost four years by that time, and Dirk couldn't bear to lose him now.

Jake would have to find out eventually, but Dirk didn't want the current issue to escalate to a point where he was trying to explain to a confused and bleeding Jake why he bit him in the middle of the night for seemingly no reason. So, instead of dealing with the problem, Dirk simply refused to sleep at night and took routine naps during the day in Jake's absence. There was also an issue with that, though; working as a robotic engineer and designing new technology didn't come easy when sleep deprivation got in the way of deadlines and the creation of blue prints.

Even so, Dirk refused to put Jake's well being at risk for the sake of sleep. Sleep was only somewhat necessary, but it was nice to be well rested, even if he really only needed a good feeding to feel the same way. Again, there was an issue with that. Dirk hadn't fed in three weeks because of sleep deprivation and Jake being around a little too often to allow him to sneak out for a little taste of lone pedestrian.

He needed to feed, and soon, or this was going to get farther out of hand than Dirk was capable of dealing with, and he was anything but ready to tell Jake that he wasn't exactly human.

• • •

Dirk hadn't even realized he had drifted off that night, but he woke to Jake stirring in his embrace. He shifted lightly, but his eyes snapped open the moment he realized exactly what position he was in with Jake. Dirk pulled away completely, sitting up in the bed, sheets falling into a sort of cloth nest around his waist. He had been at Jake's throat, mouth too close for comfort, and he had to take a moment to calm down, breathing deeply.

"Dirk..? You alright, love?" Jake's groggy voice drifted to him from under the light sheets the human had curled up under after being left without contact on the bed. His boyfriend sat up after a moment, drawing the covers up around him in a cocoon. Jake rubbed his eyes lightly, reaching out blindly to feel around for his glasses on the nightstand.

"I...," Dirk paused before nodding. "I'm fine, I'm just going to go for a walk, need to clear my head. Didn't really get a lot of sleep." At least it wasn't a complete lie this time.

"Do you want me to-" he paused, stifling a yawn before continuing. "-come with you?"

Dirk shook his head, clearing his throat. "No, its fine. Go back to sleep, I'll be back in a bit. Just a and dream I need to shake," he lied, pushing himself off the bed before leaning over and kissing Jake lightly, lingering a moment, struggling with his scent, that mouthwatering musk that seemed to always hang off of Jake.

Jake tugged him close, and Dirk found himself pressing Jake back against the bed, mouth finding its way over Jake's jaw and almost to the crook of his neck before the other laughed and pushed at him.

"I just woke up, wait an hour or two you eager beaver!" Jake chuckled, pushing Dirk away before pecking him on the lips. "I thought you had a walk to go on?"

Dirk struggled a moment, mouth closed to conceal elongated incisors but he offered a tight-lipped smile. "Y-yeah, I'll be back in a few. Sorry, got carried away," he mumbled quietly, pecking Jake quickly on the forehead before heading to the door. "Love you," he said over his shoulder, looking back at Jake again before heading out.

The moment he reached the apartment's main door, Dirk all but tore out of the home he and Jake shared, shutting the door quickly behind him before flash stepping himself to the center of town. It was a skill he had acquired shortly after becoming a full fledged vampire, and he had honed it to perfection. The skill could act as a form of teleportation as well as simply a quick escape using a large burst of energy.

Of course, this was the last of the energy Dirk possessed, and with the situation standing, he needed to feed _now_. It was still early, not quite dawn yet, the horizon streaked with bright orange and gold, the sun only just beginning to show the edges of its fiery light. Dirk knew exactly what he needed; and a drunk from the local bar would do fantastically. All he needed to take was a pint or so of blood and he would be back to normal.

The last thing he needed was to lose control in front of Jake. He managed to slip into a nearby alley way, waiting, watching the bar patrons finally begin to shuffle out, some waving down taxi cabs, others beginning their walk back home. Dirk managed to snag the attention of a tall male stumbling down the sidewalk, the human's mind easily influenced and Dirk was almost suspicious of just how weak the mental wall was. No, he didn't have time to be suspicious; he needed to finish here and then get the fuck out before Jake got worried and tried to go looking for him.

He drew back, deeper into the alleyway, reeling in the human on the other end of the mental connection. The moment the man was in range, Dirk was dragging him forward, making his memories a blank slate for the few minutes he would need here. It was mere moments after that he was latched onto the man's throat, teeth sunk deeply into the skin. The splash of iron against his tongue, after it had been so long, was almost enough to draw a moan from Dirk, but he withheld. He had no time to savor the taste now, he needed to do this and be done with it as quickly as possible. He sucked at the wound, measuring how much he needed with the physical stability of the man before him, but the human seemed to be at the peak of physical health. Hell, if it weren't for the heavy taint of alcohol in his bloodstream, Dirk would never have believed that the guy drank at all. Any alcohol, beer especially, was extremely high in caloric value, so he must work hard to work them all off.

He pulled back once the human became a bit unstable on his feet, and it wasn't long before he had detached completely from the stranger, cleaning up the wound with a little of the hand sanitizer from his pocket container that Jake insisted he carry for sanitary reasons; the dork.

He slipped back into the shadows of the alley way, releasing his mental grip on the man and waiting. He watched as the human stumbled, obviously dizzy, and remained where he was to make sure he wouldn't pass out. However, after a moment, the man had collected himself, balance sorted and standing on shaky legs but no worse for wear; not to mention that Dirk now had managed to curb his bloodlust and knew it would be safe to be around Jake. It would be safe to be normal, to cuddle while they slept, to not have to only sleep by means of naps during the day for fear of hurting his human counterpart.

He sighed in relief as the man stumbled from the alley, and Dirk waited a little while before checking for any signs of blood on himself and exiting the alley in the opposite direction. He would walk for a little while, not long, but he would waste just enough time for the 'went for a walk' excuse to be convincing. After all, things like feeding normally didn't take very long, and this time was no exception.

• • •

When he got home, locking the door behind him, Jake surprised him by turning on a light, sitting at the kitchen table.

"Hey baby, you okay?" Dirk asked, but Jake's expression was serious.

"Dirk, we need to talk."

"What about?" He replied, trying to keep the nerves out of his voice.

"Are you on drugs?" Jake questioned, staring at him with concern, and Dirk paused, baffled.

"What?"

"Are you on _drugs,_ Dirk?" He asked again, and Dirk shook his head, hands up.

"No-- Jake, what is this about?"

"You're showing signs of withdrawl, I'm not stupid, Dirk," he snapped, raising a hand to list symptoms off on his fingers. "You aren't sleeping, you have no libido, you're irritable and exhausted all the time-- you get nightmares, which you've never had in all the years I've known you."

"That isn't--"

"Then what _is_ it?! You're worrying me! You disappear once a week and come back a new man! It's been three weeks and I thought you were over it, but you're back looking chipper and absolutely fine after your 'walk'. Forgive me for not believing you aren't doing _something_ drug related," Jake sighed, running a hand frustratedly through his hair. "I can't help you if I don't understand what is happening with you!"

Dirk took a deep breath, tongue pressed to the side of his cheek. "I... have been keeping something from you, but I swear on my life it isn't that."

"Just tell me! Consarnit, Strider, haven't I proven myself trustworthy to you? What more do you want from me?!"

"Jake, please-- just give me a little time. I promised you I would tell you everything, and I will, but--"

"But _what,_ Dirk?! What are you afraid of?!"

"I'm afraid of you not wanting to be with me if I tell you!" Dirk finally snapped, only to cover his mouth.

Jake's expression turned heartbroken in a moment, and he moved to stand. "Love, there's nothing in the world we can't get through together, you just need to tell me what's wrong."

He let Jake pull him down into a gentle embrace, wrapping his own arms around Jake's waist and dragging him closer.

"We can do this, love," he said, rubbing Dirk's back gently, "I just need to know what's wrong."

When Dirk pulled back, Jake let him, staring up expectantly, though his expression had softened from its initial intensity. He took another deep breath, managing, "Jake, I know this is going to sound crazy, okay? I'm not--," he paused again, not sure how to word it.

"Not what?"

"Not-- I'm-- I'm not--" for the first time in a long time, Dirk stammered, and Jake's expression turned concerned. "I'm-- Jake, I--"

"Are you alright, love?"

_I'm going to throw up,_ he realized, anxiety spiking and stomach turning sickly.

"Dirk?"

He pushed past Jake, making a b-line for the bathroom and losing his entire recent feed into the toilet, and Jake followed behind him, only to all but panic at the sight of Dirk throwing up blood.

"We-- we have to get you to a hospital! Dirk, christ on a stick, I'm-- I'm going to call 9-1-1!" He called, dashing from the bathroom, but Dirk managed to catch him by the hem of his shirt.

"Don't!"

"What do you mean, _don't?!_ I just watched you throw up a gallon of blood into the toilet! I'm taking you to the hospital!"

"I drink it!" The words spilled out of him before he could stop them, and Jake turned to him with a horrified look.

"What?! What do you-- Dirk, _what?!"_

"I drink blood! That's it! That's what it's about! I need it to feel normal!" He exclaimed, struggling to explain everything to him despite the sudden pounding headache and the burn in his throat. "I didn't want to-- to bite your or something, okay?!"

"Bite me?! Strider what on Earth are you on about?!"

"I'm not human, Jake!" he finally said, and Jake just stopped to stare at him.

"That's what all this is about?! That you're not human? _Really?!"_ Dirk stared back at him, not sure what to say to that, and Jake frowned at him. "What are you trying to say, Strider? Do you really expect me to believe that? Of course you're human, what on Earth even--"

"I can prove it," he interrupted, almost frantically, and Jake stopped.

"What?"

"I can prove it. I can show you."

"Strider, I think you're stressed and unstable, you need sleep and you need a hospital," Jake's tone softened, and he reached for Dirk, but Dirk recoiled.

" _This_ is why I didn't want to tell you, I knew you wouldn't understand," he managed quietly, and Jake's expression turned into a frown again. "I'm not crazy, Jake. I've been dealing with this for my entire life. Dave, too. Call him if you don't believe me."

Jake bit his lip, and then reached for his phone.

"Tell him I said to tell you the truth."

Jake glanced back over at him, and then dialed Dave's number. It rang a few times, and then his brother answered, a mumbled, tired _S'up?_ coming through the phone. Jake put it on speaker.

"Dirk asked me to ask you to tell me the truth," Jake said, his tone giving away his frustration.

Dave swore loudly on the other end of the line, sounding much more awake, and asked, "Have you guys already talked about it?"

"Yes," Jake told him, then added, "Frankly, I don't believe a word of it."

"Okay. So. To sum it up, Dirk and I are vampires. Like, actual vampires. Not some bullshit goth larpers. He needs blood to live, same here. Tell Dirk to show you what a flash step is."

Jake looked over to him, and Dirk admitted into the phone, "I would, but I just threw up everything I ate."

Again, Dave cursed. "Okay, new plan, I'll be there in less than a minute. I'll show you."

"Don't you live an hour away?" Jake questioned, voice suddenly a little more hesitant.

"By car? Yeah. But Dirk and I don't travel by car unless you or someone else is around."

"What--"

"Hang up, and open the apartment door."

Jake shot Dirk a look, but did as Dave asked, opening the front door. He all but jumped out of his skin when not only did Dave appear out of thin air, but then proceeded to prove the point by flash stepping directly in Jake's line of vision. He disappeared suddenly, reappearing directly next to Dirk, who's mouth was still stained red, and then glanced back at Jake.

"Do you believe me now?" Dirk questioned, still a little hoarse.

Jake stammered out something unintelligible, but Dave captured his attention shortly after, staring at him with concern. "How long have you--?"

"Three weeks. Tried today but got so stressed I threw it all up. At least a pint," Dirk explained, only to realize his mistake when Dave turned on his heel, a glare leveled at Jake.

"You can't keep him from feeding! You'll fucking starve him to death!" He snarled, visibly furious, but Dirk put a hand on his shoulder.

"He didn't know. He thought I was on drugs or something."

"Well you know what? You're a fucking idiot for not telling him for four fucking years!"

To his surprise, Jake came to his defense, seeming to have shaken his surprise. "Don't you yell at him! I caused this!"

Dave threw his hands in the air. "Fine! Both of you are stupid idiots who should have a little more fucking faith in each other!"

Dave dissapeared as fast as he had appeared, and Dirk turned to look over at Jake, not sure what to say.

"I-- erm, suppose you need to go back out?" He asked, hesitantly.

"Can't now," Dirk replied, pausing to look in the mirror and grimace. He moved to the kitchen, taking a paper towel and trying to get the deep red stain off his chin. The pale tone of his skin didn't help, and despite his scrubbing, a faint red tinge stayed. "Sun is coming up."

"Wait, but--?"

"It won't kill me, you know that," Dirk interrupted. "You've been out with me in the day the before, I just sunburn really easy, and I'd get sun poisoning if I went out now, because of the eating situation. I'll have to wait 'till tonight."

Jake paused, expression one of consideration, and Dirk caught on to what he was thinking in seconds. "Absolutely not. Fuck no."

"But, Dirk, I'm the reason you--" he started, but Dirk held up a hand.

"Don't. It's not your fault, I should have kept better track and been more responsible, and I should have told you earlier. Don't feel like you need to do that, because I won't do that to you."

Jake's expression turned a little sad at Dirk's words, and he went to argue, but Dirk interrupted again. "The answer is no, Jake. I kept this from you because I know how you are and I didn't want you feeling the need to offer me anything."

"I'm sorry for not believing you," he said, quietly, and Dirk sighed.

"Its okay. I should have explained it better, but I didn't know how to tell you." Jake took a step toward him, but Dirk put a hand up. "Please, baby. Not right now. Just let me calm down a little bit. I have to wait till tonight, I have to eat before I get close to you again."

Jake nodded, glancing away, looking guilty. "I didn't mean to make you so anxious."

"Its okay, I shouldn't have gotten so stressed over it," Dirk reassured him. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I'm sorry Dave yelled at you, I just knew I couldn't convince you like this."

"Please don't apologize, love," Jake said, and despite Dirk's initial warning, he headed into the kitchen and took one of Dirk's hands in his. "I just don't understand why you were so afraid to tell me. We could have talked about it a while ago and avoided all this malarkey. You scared me half to death when you began throwing up blood, Dirk. I thought you were dying."

"Kinda felt like I was dying," Dirk admitted, humored. "Throwing up something as thick as blood is like drowning."

Jake frowned, visibly upset, but Dirk leaned down to leave a chaste kiss on his lips, only for Jake to pull back with a look of disgust, commenting, "Your breath is horrific."

Laughing at him, Dirk said, "If it makes you feel any better it tastes worse than it smells. It's so bad on the way back up."

Jake batted him away, "That's awful, Strider! I don't want to hear about that!"

He laughed at Jake's response, rolling his eyes, and told him he was going to bed. To Dirk's relief, Jake didn't follow.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sexual content ahead!

When night fell, after Dirk had all but passed out in bed for the majority of the day, he left to go feed himself. Jake watched from the doorway as he went, seeming a little worried for Dirk's slight unsteadiness and unyielding headache.

Despite being worse than usual, Dirk managed to nab a lone pedestrian with ease, luring the girl into an alley with a little glamour. He made it quick, wanting to get back to Jake before he worried, so he didn't take as much as he probably should have, and after releasing her from the influence, he headed home again.

His boyfriend was waiting when he arrived, and the look on his face at seeing Dirk completely back to normal after only half an hour away, and after looking so completely wrecked all day, seemed to solidify that what he and Dave had told Jake was actually true. Dirk approached him with a bit more enthusiasm than usual, remembering that Jake had taken note of the lack of libido feeding had given him. Jake seemed surprised, but didn't back down, and he let Dirk drag him forward into a kiss, only to pull away, demanding he go brush his teeth.

Dirk rolled his eyes, commenting that Jake was nagging him, but headed to the bathroom anyway.

"Its not nagging when your mouth tastes like a dirty penny!" Jake called after him as the door shut, and Dirk laughed lightly to himself. He really was an idiot for not telling Jake sooner, his boyfriend had no qualms about what he was after Dirk had convinced him he was telling the truth. God, was he a lucky man to be able to call Jake his.

Once he had finished brushing his teeth, he all but engulfed Jake, and his boyfriend made a surprised noise. He had ambushed Jake in the kitchen, dragging him backwards by the waist.

"Strider!" He laughed, "You gave me a spook!"

Dirk tucked his face into the side of his boyfriend's neck, and Jake sighed, leaning back into him. 

"Good to see your libido is back," Jake joked, turning just enough to kiss the side of Dirk's head. His breath is warm against Dirk's face, his soft, curly, black hair brushing over the vampires forehead. 

"You know," Jake started, quietly. "I'm glad you told me, even though it took you scaring me half to death to do it. You can trust me, love, I'd never abandon you. Even if you had been absolutely off your rocker bonkers with Reinfeld Syndrome or schizophrenia or something, I would have stayed. Please don't hide things from me anymore. No more secrets, alright?"

Nodding into the side of his neck, Dirk murmured, "No more secrets. I know I should have said something earlier, but it's hard to tell someone shit like that. Most normal people freak out pretty bad."

"I don't see why," Jake laughed lightly, and Dirk could almost hear him rolling his eyes. "I think the idea of a vampire boyfriend is rather spectacular, as a matter of fact. Well, now that I know you aren't making up excuses to avoid going to a hospital."

Dirk snorted at the response, kissing over the side of his boyfriend's neck and reveling in the little shiver in response, and the way Jake's head tilted back onto his shoulder. "Yeah, well, not everyone is that friendly about it. A lot of people would just try to kill me or dump me on the spot. You're kind of a special case."

"Kill you?" The moment was broken, and Jake turned in his arms to look up at him. "That's murder, someone can't just _kill_ you!"

"You'd be surprised," Dirk told him, "Dave and I both have had a couple relationships turn bad when we explain. That's why I was so anxious about telling you, especially since we live together now. Not-- not that I thought you'd kill me, just that most people automatically nope out of there as soon as they find out."

Jake frowned, reaching up to press his hands to Dirk's cheeks, bright green eyes trained on him. "Dirk, I will personally go after anyone who tries to hurt you for something you cannot help. What you are is just nature to you, as far as I know, and you don't deserve any bad treatment for just being who you are."

Dirk smiled lightly at him, leaning into Jake's touch. "Life would be a hell of a lot easier if everyone saw it that way."

"Why don't they?"

"Mainly because not all vampires are humanitarians. The few that kill give the rest of us a bad rep. When you're young it's hard to be in control, but that's what parents and mentors are for. Not everyone has those, though."

His hands still lingered on Jake's waist, watching the gears turn in his head as he mulled over what Dirk had told him. Finally, he asked, "Are vampire hunters a thing? Like _"Buffy"?_ "

"Yeah," Dirk replied, a little humored at the comparison. "They're pretty rare though, and pretty easy to avoid. Only idiots get caught by hunters. Natural selection, hah."

"It isn't funny, Dirk. There are people out there who want to kill you for something you don't have any control over and didn't ask for!" Jake argued, visibly upset at the idea, but Dirk reached up to pet through his hair and pull him close, and Jake's arms moved to hang over his shoulders.

"Baby, I've avoided them my entire life, I'm fine. I know what to look for and I know how to get out of a bad situation. You saw what Dave and I can do, that's called flashstepping, it's like short range teleportation. Super helpful for getting the fuck out of dodge when shit goes tits-up."

"I still don't like it," Jake muttered into his chest, voice muffled, and Dirk chuckled lightly at the response.

"I know. To be honest, I dont like being hunted, either, but until we come to some kind of truce with the hunters, nothing's going to change. It's just something all vampires live with."

"You shouldn't have to! That's prejudice," he argued, and Dirk kissed his forehead.

"Well, assaulting pedestrians on a weekly basis to steal their blood like a rogue red cross agent is pretty frowned upon, too."

Jake pulled back, expression horrified. "You _what?!_ You just-- just attack strangers?!"

"Yeah?" Dirk replied, confused. "What did you think I was doing, robbing a hospital blood bank?"

"I don't know, Dirk! But I didn't think you were essentially being the local Dracula and leaving random people with bites!"

"Hey, hey, if there was a better way to do this I would, but hunters intercept everything we try to do to build up a community and figure out how to avoid attacking people. Any time we meet offline, there's a chance of being ambushed, so there's no way we can create change when we're sabotaged at every step," he explained, petting through Jake's hair.

"It sounds awfully dangerous for you to be out on the streets like that," Jake said, looking up at him. "I don't want you being hurt."

"Jake. I was serious this morning when I said I'm not going to take advantage of you, I'll be fine. I haven't died yet, have I?"

Jake smacked him on the shoulder lightly. "Not _yet,_ but I won't sit idly by and let some cuckoo fruitcake who hates vampires bump off _my boyfriend!_ "

Dirk laughed lightly at the wording and leaned down to leave a lingering kiss on Jake's lips, more than pleased when his boyfriend all but melted in his hands, pressing up against him. His hands slid over Jake's shoulders from their place in his hair, sloping downward until Dirk all but grabbed him by the ass and yanked him the rest of the way forward. Jake let out a muffled little sound at the suddenness of it, but didn't protest, and so Dirk walked him back until he hit the kitchen wall.

Jake dragged him down when Dirks hands relocated from his ass to the wall behind him, pinning Jake with his body as they continued their sloppy makeouts. Really, he would kiss Jake forever if he'd allow it.

He groaned when Jake purposefully pushed their hips together, the ravenette stifling a moan of his own when Dirk bit his bottom lip gently and dragged it out just to tease him. That always drove him crazy, and Dirk was well aware of it.

Just as he was reaching to pop the button on Jake's shorts, a knock on the door interrupted them, and Dirk groaned again, but this time in annoyance, knocking his head forward on the wall next to Jake's. His boyfriend laughed breathlessly at the reaction, leaning up to kiss along his jaw before wiggling away and sliding his shirt back on.

"Well, go get the door, you wanker," he called as he headed to the bathroom. 

"You better not take care of that while I'm getting it, that's my job," Dirk called back, and Jake made a disgruntled little noise from behind the door.

Dirk headed over to the front door, opening it but keeping his lower half hidden, still hard and erection painful in his jeans.

"Di-Stri! Hey, what's up? Dave told me you finally told Jakey, so I wanted to drop by and--" Roxy was rambling, and Dirk hung his head.

"Rox, you literally couldn't have picked a worse time," he grumbled, and she grinned at him.

"Ooh, were y'all bumpin' nasties? Sorry, hah. I can come back later if you want."

"You have the worst sense of timing, it's like you cockblock on purpose," Dirk sighed, but despite her offer to leave, Roxy pushed past him and into the apartment, only to laugh when she noticed his boner.

"Oh man, I really did cockblock if you're _that_ hard!"

"Rox, I love you, but I'm gonna kill you."

• • •

Roxy had stayed over for a while with them, and though Jake was obviously jealous that she knew long before he did, he was civil until she left.

As soon as the door closed, though, Jake all but climbed over Dirk on the couch, shoving him down into the cushions. "So Roxy knew before I did?!"

"Baby, I grew up with Roxy. I was a loudmouth kid who couldn't keep a secret, of course she knows. She's known since I was, like, six," he explained, reaching up to grab Jake's hips even as his boyfriend crossed his arms.

"Well, I'm still upset with you."

"Jake, babe, I've known Roxy almost my entire life. Her mom and my older Bro are best friends," he sighed, thumbs rubbing circles in Jake's skin. "I told you, baby, I was just scared to admit it to you because I've had relationships fall apart because of this. You were too important to me to let that happen."

Jake softened, though he still looked a little miffed about it. Dirk took the opportunity to reach up and pull Jake down to him, catching him in a kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too, you big oaf," Jake muttered back against his lips, and Dirk smiled.

Jake mumbled something unintelligible before kissing him again, still straddling Dirk's hips. The vampire dragged him all the way down so Jake was practically laying on him, Dirk only propped up by one elbow as the other hand tangled in the sensitive curls on the back of Jake's neck. He was rewarded by a low moan when he pulled the hair there gently, tongue teasing along Jake's teeth.

His boyfriend pressed down against him, grinding hard, and Dirk let himself lay down fully, other arm moving so he could massage over Jake's ass.

Jakes phone rang, and Dirk groaned, head dropping back against the couch. "Seriously?"

"Sorry, love. I forgot to silence it," Jaks apologized, reaching over to the coffee table to decline the call. "The universe is really trying to interrupt us, isnt it?"

"I guess so. Not that anything could keep me from that ass," Dirk replied, making a point to squeeze said ass with both hands. Jake laughed at the comment, tossing his phone onto the loveseat across from them after turning it to Do Not Disturb and returning his attention to Dirk.

"Its like in highschool when we couldn't be alone for five minutes without someone walking in on us," Jake said, leaning down to kiss over Dirk's neck, who replied with a breathy laugh.

"Yeah, you're telling me. It was great when we finally got our own place," he managed, trying to keep his tone level even as Jake's hands slipped under his shirt. "Thanks for not dipping on me when I told you about it."

"About what?" Jake asked, head lifting up just enough to give Dirk a confused look before it clicked. "Oh. Honestly, it doesn't change a thing, love. You could have told me you were an alien and as long as you had proof to back it up I would have simply accepted it. You're still you, even if you're a vampire with occasional stinky blood-breath."

Dirk snorted at that, rolling his eyes and pulling Jake back down to kiss him. Jake went willingly, this time leading rather than letting Dirk lead, and started to grind down on him again. It felt good to finally have no secrets between them, for Jake to know everything and be completely accepting of him despite his initial fears.

Jake groaned into his mouth when Dirk dragged his stupid short shorts down until his ass was exposed, his boyfriend going commando as usual. Dirk would never understand how his dick didn't fall out of place and get stuck to his leg, but he guessed having shorts so fucking tight Dirk could see his asscrack was a good way to keep it in place. Either way, it was nice eye candy.

Dirk reaches down under the couch for their secret lube stash, pulling a little bottle out and squirting a little onto his fingers. Jake pressed his face down into Dirk's neck when his hand trailed down, pressing against his entrance. He moans softly into Dirk's ear, shaking a little in anticipation. It had been a while, what with Dirk's feeding being so off schedule lately, so he knew how Jake was feeling and he was just as pent up. He slipped a finger inside Jake, grinning a little when he stifled another sound and ground down against him again. He loved it when Jake wanted to ride him, and tonight was obviously one of those nights. He loved being able to grab his ass and loved the feeling of Jake scratching at his chest when he got close-- fuck, it really had been too long.

Jake whined at him for another finger, and he obliged without argument, fingers curling inside him. Jake's arms shook as Dirk continued to massage his insides, elbows buckling before he essentially dropped down onto Dirk's chest again. Dirk puffed out a light laugh, kissing Jake's head as he continued to push into him, each press slow and curling until he added a third and began to ramp up at Jake's begged insistence.

"Dirk--" he managed, face pressing into Dirk's neck. "Please-- s-stop teasing me. It's been so long."

Dirk smiled and pulled his fingers away, and Jake stood on shaky legs to shove his short shorts the rest of the way off, and Dirk was quick to shuck his own pants. Jake climbed over him the moment he was nude, grinding back against him and pressing Dirk's erection against him. Dirk groans at the contact, reaching out to grip Jake's ass.

"You are _such_ an ass-man," Jake laughed, pressing again back just to tease him.

"Fuck, Jake," he panted, watching his boyfriend as he finally pressed up onto his knees and lined Dirk up. "God, you're gorgeous."

"And you're a big sap," he said, only to moan, eyes closed and head tipped back as he slowly sank down. Dirk watched him with half-lidded eyes, hands on his hips and Jake's hands supporting himself on Dirk's thighs. When he finally settled down completely, he leaned over to kiss Dirk, and the blonde leaned up to meet him. It was gentle and slow, to give Jake time to adjust for a little and keep both busy.

After a moment Jake shifted, rolling his hips with a soft moan, and Dirk shifted one hand to his hair. He watched Jake sit up a little, raising up a few inches before sliding back down on him, thighs shaking. He barely restrained the urge to buck up into Jake, pulling his knees up for Jake to rest against them. His boyfriend pressed back against his legs, hands on Dirk's knees for leverage to pull himself up.

It was smooth sailing from there, Jake's pace gradually ramping up, head thrown back and breathy moans leaving him. It's a hell of a sight to Dirk, always has been. They'd both been through hell working through their respective intimacy issues, and Dirk thanked his luck every day since that he had managed to break down Jake's walls. It was incredible to see him completely comfortable, taking what he wanted and not hiding-- it was a far cry from their shy first time together, Jake hiding behind his hands and more than overwhelmed a few times.

This was so different than back then, when Jake's issues had stemmed from abandonment issues and insecurity, and Dirk's had come from the fear of losing him, to a point where he held on so tightly that he nearly suffocated their relationship. It was a goddamn miracle they stuck it out, really, and Dirk couldn't help but appreciate how far they'd both come.

Jake drew him back to the present when he leaned forward, rocking back onto Dirk at a different angle, and Dirk groaned, hands again landing on Jake's ass again and kneading over them as he rocked backwards. His nails scratced down Dirk's chest when his back arched, a sign Dirk was more than familiar with, and he latched onto Jake's hips to drag him down with more force. Jake's fingers dug into his chest hard in response, a drawn out moan spilling from him. Dirk was rising up to meet him now, every movement matched, and it wasn't long before both were getting close.

Jake finished first, gasping and jerking his hips when Dirk reached up to pump him to completion, all but shaking as Dirk rode through his orgasm and followed shortly after. He stayed upright for a long moment, hands gripping Dirk's knees again, breathing heavily until he came down from his high and Dirk dragged him down for a kiss.

They stayed like that for a while, just wrapped in each other's arms and still connected, until Dirk mumbled something about a shower as he kissed along Jake's jaw.

"Yeah," Jake managed, breathlessly, "Perhaps you're right, we should clean up."

Despite the agreement, Jake began to doze off a bit until Dirk decided to just carry him into the bathroom, murmuring all the soft, overly sappy things he knew his boyfriend loved to hear.

He really was the luckiest man on earth.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DirkJake Domesticity and more about Dirk's work

Things carried on as usual for the next few weeks, and Dirk was constantly reminded of how damn lucky he was to have Jake by his side. His boyfriend was as doting and dorky as ever, not bothered in the least by the newly-discovered eating habits. The trust was unconditional as always, even when that certain night of the week came around for Dirk to head out for a short time to feed himself. It was incredible, really, that Jake knew full well and was still perfectly content to let Dirk nuzzle into his shoulder and kiss his neck, unbothered by the shows of affection that had scared off so many past lovers.

Really, Dirk couldn't have asked for a better boyfriend.

He sat at the kitchen table that evening, watching Jake make coffee in his usual horrifically tantalizing short-shorts, and was once again reminded of his good fortune. How he ended up with someone so good to him is beyond him, but now that they had no secrets and Jake knew where he was going when he would disappear for a bit, everything was peaceful. Honestly, Dirk really loved being domestic with him and just watching Jake do things as simple as make coffee made him all warm and tingly inside.

Not that he would ever admit something so sappy and embarrassing, but the little knowing glance Jake threw over his shoulder at Dirk's perpetual stare said he knew damn well.

Dirk watched him pour the dark, steaming liquid into two mugs, one clouded with cream and sugar and the other black as night, just the way Dirk liked it. He watched as Jake stirred his own cup, testing it before stirring a little more sugar in and deciding it was to his liking. He watched Jake bring the cups over, leaning down to give him a chaste kiss on the forehead as he set the coffees down on their little kitchen table. He'd watch Jake do things forever if he could.

"You're too good to me," he murmured, and Jake laughed at him.

"Love, it's just coffee," Jake replied, rolling his eyes. "Plus, you're going to need it with that monster of a project you're planning to finish tonight."

_Right, the prototype._ Dirk had honestly forgotten about it, too wrapped up in the domestic little dreamland he'd been engulfed in all day. It was his day off today, so he had enjoyed it with Jake, it was one of the few times they both had a day off together. They were rare, but Dirk supposed that's what made those days so special.

Jake took a seat beside him, only to squawk indignantly when Dirk pulled the chair he was sitting in so they were side by side, the ravenette holding up his cup of coffee up in the air to keep it from spilling.

"Strider! This is hot coffee and I'd prefer to keep it off my person, thank you!" He chided before taking a sip from his cup.

"You can't blame me for wanting my hot boyfriend to sit a little closer," Dirk replied, unbothered, and went to take a sip of his own coffee, but Jake tipped the bottom of his cup up when he did. Coffee spilled up into his nose, and Dirk choked a little, setting the cup down and pulling his shirt up to wipe off his face, but he was smiling. "Damn, English, that was a little harsh."

"Harsh, perhaps, but well deserved."

"Yeah, whatever."

They settled down in comfortable silence, Jake's eyes closing as he took a deep breath in from just above his cup. He always did that; reveled in the smell of creamy, sugar-laden liquid caffeine. It was cute, honestly, and Dirk always took a moment to observe the peaceful second before Jake took a sip. He'd gotten Jake into coffee when they were in college, years before they started dating, and he had hated it at first but loved the effect. Once he figured out the right amount of cream and sugar, it had become a habit of the same intensity as Dirk's, both drinking at least three cups daily.

They were in grad school when Jake admitted openly that he had learned to like it and quite enjoyed drinking it, and he had even let slip that he drank decaf at night just because he appreciated the taste. It was a battle won, in Dirk's mind, that he had finally gotten Jake addicted to it. It was damn good and anyone who said coffee sucked was a blasphemous moron, and finally Jake agreed with him on that front.

They had made a habit of coffee dates at the local 24-hour cafe long before Jake knew about the whole vampire thing, chalking Dirk's sleep pattern up to his wacked out work schedule. It was nice to share a late night coffee with him, to just sit in the dim corner of the shop and listen to stupid music while they shot the shit or bickered lightheartedly. His dates with Jake always held a special place in his heart, even at the beginning when they were both awkward and stupid and couldn't look eachother in the eyes without blushing or saying something ridiculous.

Jake dragged Dirk out of his pleasant reverie with a kiss. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"Just thinking about our old dates. The coffee reminded me about a lot of things, but remember when we were idiot kids and so awkward we couldn't even think straight around eachother?"

Jake laughed at that, smiling. "Why, yes, I do remember the old days. We were quite a mess, weren't we? I do believe I forgot my own name when you asked me to date you."

Dirk chuckled lightly, remembering the way he had stunned Jake into silence with his confession. "Yeah, you've always got something to yam on about and I got you to a point where you had no idea what to say. Pretty impressive."

Jake shoved his shoulder, grinning, "Oh, don't give yourself so much credit, you ambushed me after a particularly draining three-hour-long anthropology lecture! I was practically braindead when you asked."

"Are you alluding to coercion?" Dirk asked, and Jake shoved him again.

"More of a sneak attack, you oaf."

"Sneak attack my ass! Your first time kissing me was a sneak attack!"

"I was unaware you were sleeping! Its terribly hard to tell when you have those silly sunglasses on!" Jake argued, shaking a fist at him. "You always had that bloody poker face on, and I gushed my heart out to you and went to kiss you, and then you woke with a start and I looked like an absolute buffoon!"

"Not gonna lie, Jake, it's one of the best ways I've woken up, to date."

"Oh, I doubt that!"

"No, wait, you're right. Waking up on Valentine's to a surprise blowjob was way better," Dirk smirked at him, and Jake blushed furiously.

"It was your idea!"

"It was a suggestion, I didn't think you'd actually do it in a million years."

"Well perhaps I shouldn't have because you nearly impaled my windpipe!" Jake's face was about as red as a firetruck, visibly flustered, and Dirk laughed and kissed him lightly.

"Yeah, death by dick would've been hilarious," he said, only to add. "I've heard of guys rupturing their esophageal walls because of sucking dick too hard, imagine that hospital trip, hah!"

"That's terrible!"

"Terrible, but hilarious."

Jake shook his head but there was a smile on his face, and out of the blue he said, "We should get a dog."

"Seriously?" Dirk asked, excited by the prospect. "Dogs usually don't like me but I think that'd be super cool."

"Well, if we were to get a puppy he would have no reason to not like you!"

"Dogs don't like me because of the vampire thing," Dirk clarified, and Jake waved him off.

"A puppy doesn't know anything, we could at least try. I've had dogs most of my life! Bec was my grandmothers favorite dog, but Halley was my good girl. She was the best dog a boy could ask for. I miss having a dog around."

"If you want a dog, I'm down. Just don't be surprised if it doesn't like me," Dirk replied, and Jake grinned at him.

"Really?" Jake was about bouncing in his seat at the idea, and Dirk smiled lightly at his excitement. 

"Yeah, if it makes you happy, of course I want to get a dog with you."

"Wonderful! We should definitely make a day to go see some pups!"

"Just tell me when, I'll call in sick," Dirk told him, and Jake flung his arms around him in a hug.

"We're getting a dog!"

"Yeah. Holy shit. I've never had pets before."

"Really? Never?" Jake asked, incredulously, and pulled back a little.

"Yeah," Dirk affirmed, "Never had a pet. Bro didn't want a pet biting one of us if it never warmed up to the whole not-human thing."

"Well, now we definitely have to get a dog! I'm sure it'll warm right up if we give it enough love and bribe it with treats!"

"If you say so."

• • •

Dirk was hunched over the desk, magnifying lense glasses on over his shades and bright desk lamp trained on the motherboard he was fiddling with. Jake was asleep on their bed one room over, he had gone to bed around two in the morning, after dropping off a mocha for Dirk and taking his own hot chocolate to their room when he retired for the night. It was sometime around two in the morning, Dirk wasn't really keeping track, but he was nearly finished.

If he had done everything right-- and Dirk knew he had --the robot's prototype should be up and running by the time morning came; literally running. He had been working on a bipedal delivery bot for the company's warehouse, CrockerCorp had been bugging his little engineering firm for one for months, and he finally had the prototype ready to be sent over for the initial test. It was pretty impressive, if Dirk had anything to say about it. His coworker, Hal, had come up with the blueprints, and though the kid was an insufferable asshole, Dirk was willing to admit he was a genius. They made a great team, and even if they fought over logistics most of the time-- which was part of the reasons their team projects took so long --they were the star duo of the company and always provided the best and most thorough work.

He tinkered with the wires for a little longer before finally sliding the microchip in place and attaching the motherboard to the back of the robot's neck, clicking it into place and pushing the connected wires back inside.

He looked over it once more before flicking the power switch on its back. It wad borderline uncanny-valley with how similar it was to a human, though Dirk had left the synthetic skin off the back of the neck in case he needed to fix anything. It was weird as fuck, but that's what CrockerCorp wanted.

As soon as the head slowly tilted up, the robot coming to life, Dirk asked, "Crockerbot, what is your purpose?"

"To deliver materials and help on the assembly line," it replied in a sickly sweet female voice.

"Good. What does your inventory list consist of?"

He listened to it list off all the Crocker inventory, Dirk checking off the boxes on his paperwork as it spoke. When they finally got through the entire list, Dirk nodded to himself.

"Alright, Crockerbot, I'm going to ask you to move now. Start at your first speed and gradually move up every three seconds. Your laps are to the door and back."

The robot noded, and he watched it move and marked off on motor skills.

"Alright, Crockerbot, next I want you to bend down and straighten up a few times."

The robot does as its told, bending down to touch the ground and straightening up three times before turning back to stand at attention for more commands.

"Good. Next I want you to turn that door handle and pull the door open, then close and lock it."

He continuesd to check off boxes and give commands before finally deciding the robot was good to go, nodding to himself as he stoodIt went surprisingly well, and Dirk looked the robot over one more time, pleased with himself. The bot looked great, and Dirk walked around it a few times to check to make sure there were no places he missed and nothing that popped out of place on the initial test. When he decided it all looked good, he nodded again, putting the paperwork back down on the desk. _All good._

"Great job, Crockerbot. You'll be heading to your new job tomorrow morning. To recap, restate your purpose."

"To deliver materials and help on the assembly line," it said again, and Dirk nodded.

_Hell yeah._

He reached out to flip the switch and it stepped away from him. "Please don't turn me off."

He paused, cursing internally. Goddamnit, the AI inside it was already starting to become self aware.

"Crockerbot, you'll be fine. I'm not doing anything to disrupt your function. You need to charge and be at full battery before you go to Crockercorp. Like a nap."

"What is a nap?"

Dirk faltered a little, thinking, and then took a step toward the door. "Its a rest. Jake is resting in the other room. It's good for your motherboard to rest, you don't want to overheat. If you overheat you can't perform your primary function."

The bot nodded, listening, and he lead it out into the hall before opening the bedroom door quietly. "See? He isn't in any way being harmed. He's-- charging."

"Okay. You may turn me off." It nodded again, and he lead it back into the workroom before again reaching for the switch. 

"Just charging. No reason to be afraid," he said again when it glanced down at his hand, and this time the bot let him turn it off. He watched it power down before plugging it back into its power source. He'd have to tell Hal about this, but CrockerCorp likely wouldn't care as long as they got their prototype.

When the bot's charging port lit up to tell him it was recharging, Dirk sat down at the desk again and turned on his laptop, shooting a quick email to Hal.

_The fuck do you mean its self aware? That wasn't part of the program!_ came an almost immediate response, and Dirk sighed.

_I changed the program a little. Figured AI learning would help it when the business goes through changes so CrockerCorp doesn't have to send it back every couple months when their inventory updates._

_Fuck you for not telling me before you did it, but I'll admit that's a decent idea. We'll see what CrockerCorp thinks in the morning._

Dirk grinned at the response, glad he hadn't flown off the rails at Dirk's admittance. He sent another quick email to his boss to let him know the prototype was finished, and Zahhak replied professionally and with lackluster wording as usual, but the tone was one of excitement at the project being done.

_Good. Everyone's ready to see it in action, then._

With that, Dirk decided it was time to finally head to bed, tired but excited about the bot's trial run.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jake is scheming

Dirk ran his fingers gently through Jake's hair as he climbed out of bed as quietly as he could, leaning over to kiss him on the forehead as he headed to the bathroom. Today was the big day, he was finally showing off months of tedious and infuriating work to the biggest company his little engineering firm had ever worked with. This would boost not only his value as an engineer, but no doubt send the company he worked for into space-- metaphorically of course. They weren't ready to build rockets just yet.

Dirk grinned to himself, ecstatic, and stepped into the shower, noting absently the dryness in his throat and the primal hunger that had returned to plague him. He'd have to go out again soon, but he couldn't think about feeding while he was on the brink of showing off his most intricate and detailed AI yet, especially since it had a physical form to accompany it. Sure, the AI part wasn't in the plans, but Crockerbot was a hell of a creation, and he would gladly show off this surprise to CrockerCorp with as much excitement as the professional environment would allow.

He made the shower quick, stepping out and rubbing over his hair with a towel before slipping into the usual dress clothes the firm required for meetings. Most of the time, when there wasn't a big meeting about, Dirk could walk in wearing just about anything and it wouldn't matter-- being the star player had its perks. But today was different, and so Dirk buttoned up his pale orange dress shirt and dragged on a light-weight blazer over top, tucking the shirt into his pants and securing it with a classy black leather belt.

He took a moment to look himself over as he flipped his collar up and knotted a black tie around his neck. Dirk looked damn good in dress clothes, if he had anything to say about it. Shame they're so stuffy and uncomfortable.

With that, Dirk headed back toward the sink, quietly pulling open one of the drawers on his side of the vanity and pulling out his hair gel. He had to look professional today, so no spikes and no shades, which he wasn't thrilled about. But, hey, if it boosted his career into the cosmos he'd gladly forego a little self expression. The idea of a being a commission robotic engineer rather than a bland, on-call, project-based engineer had him grinning to himself again as he worked the gel through his slightly damp hair.

Jake always made fun of him when he had to slick it back instead of spike it, the look too close to the eldest Strider-- their obnoxious Hollywood-Hills brother. Honestly, he'd hang with Bro all day, but the idea of looking like the movie-producer Strider was more than a little off-putting. Dave may idolize him, but Dirk had little in common with their eldest brother, and he preferred to keep it that way.

Admittedly, if he ever got the balls to propose to Jake, Dirk would have to invite him to the wedding, but that was probably pretty far off anyway.

He turned in the mirror, petting down any fly-away hairs before finally deciding he was good to go. Dirk snagged his watch out of the nightstand, turning back momentarily to flip the bathroom light off before leaning over to kiss his boyfriend again. Dirk couldn't help it when he took a deep breath, inhaling Jake's scent despite the fact that his mouth watered at the proximity. Dirk cursed himself silently when he pulled back, glad Jake wouldn't notice the probably-creepy thing he just did.

Jake was still sleeping soundly, but he had dragged Dirk's pillow over to him and was holding it tightly, face pressed into the soft fabric of the pillowcase. He did that every morning, and it never got less adorable. Dirk lingered as long as he could, petting through Jake's hair and listening to him mumble unintelligible bullshit into the pillow until he finally had to leave.

• • •

Jake woke a little later that morning, his alarm ringing obnoxiously, and sat up to stretch. He was happy to see Dirk had left on time, not that he ever wasn't on time, but it was a big day for him! He really hoped it was all going smoothly with the new robot, Dirk would be absolutely inconsolable if anything went wrong.

For once, he had a bit of a later shift today, and could afford to lounge around a little. However, Jake had other things to think about, and being rudely ripped out of his dreamland by the alarm had brought everything crashing back into his mind.

First and foremost, he was terribly worried about Dirk now that he knew about vampire hunters and all. The idea that his boyfriend could be bumped off at any given time was inconceivable, and Jake wasn't about to allow it!

Well, not that he really knew how to prevent it, what with Dirk shutting down the topic of taking his blood any time he brought it up, but he would figure it out! After all, he admittedly _was_ rather curious, and he had seen those vampire movies and read the novels and whatnot, but he kind of wanted to experience the real thing!

Not even a month prior, he had no idea vampires existed, not to mention the fact that he had been dating one for close to four years!

Their anniversary was also something that weighed heavily on his mind. He had to make this one special! He didn't know what he was going to do just yet, but it would most definitely be spectacular and over the top, for sure!

Jake flung the covers away from him, slamming a hand down on the alarm to shut it up. So many things to think about, he didn't need that damn thing blaring and interrupting his planning-- he had scheming to do, for both things!

Making his anniversary special was the main priority, what with it coming up in short order, but he also knew the day this week was coming quickly where Dirk would have to go out again. He didn't have an exact day, really, and from Jake's observations it seemed to happen roughly every seven to ten days. It was difficult to predict, and Dirk always seemed to fluctuate-- it made him wonder if the period between had something to do with the amount he took the time prior. 

He had pried a bit and gotten Dirk to answer some questions about his habits, albeit reluctantly, and he had admitted the amount depended on not only his need, but the health, age, and size of the individual he was... er, eating. Jake still wasn't very comfortable with the idea of Dirk doing something so intimate with someone other than him, but he supposed there was no reason to believe his boyfriend saw those people as anything other than a food source. Which, admittedly, was even more uncomfortable for Jake to think about.

Shaking the train of thought, Jake climbed out of bed and stretched, tugging on a shirt and heading into the kitchen. Dirk's coffee mug was untouched, though he had brewed some coffee for Jake, and the little sign of consideration made him smile.

Golly, he sure was lucky. Dirk had always been so considerate of little things that costed time that Jake really didn't have in the morning, so even something as simple as starting the coffee was a major tick on the level of affection Jake felt. It wasnt so much that it waxed and waned, but more that it grew steadily throughout the day until Jake was sure he'd burst with untold affections by the time they saw one another again. It sounded a bit clingy, even in Jake's mind, but Dirk didn't seem to care and actually hinted that he was rather fond of it-- in his subtle Strider way, at least.

Jake pulled open the fridge door and grabbed the creamer, mind running a million miles a second as he spooned sugar into his cup and followed it with the cream. He was glad to see the coffee was nice and hot and wouldn't need to be nuked in the microwave, that was always a fantastic bonus. Fresh coffee was the best, though ultimately caffeine was caffeine and if he needed to microwave it, he wouldn't complain.

As he sipped his coffee, Jake's mind returned to his boyfriend, fiddling with the idea of bringing up the topic of marriage. Hell, they had been together for four years and known eachother for at least twice that, had been living together for three and now they knew everything about eachother. Admittedly, upon thinking about it, the vampire thing definitely made sense what with Dirk's strange behaviors and the way he did certain things, not to mention how he always wound up where Jake was during grad school. He was always a little confused by it, but with the newly discovered trait everything made sense.

Jake really didn't have an issue with it, more that he didn't have much of an opinion about it at all. Dirk was Dirk, no matter what he was, he was and always would be Dirk. And Jake quite liked Dirk just the way he was, wouldn't have it any other way, blood drinking habit or not. He supposed, maybe, Dirk wouldn't be quite the way he was without the vampirism. It made him guarded and observant, careful and reserved. Idly, Jake wondered how non-vampire Dirk would differ from him.

Surely, Dirk would say he would be exactly the same if he were to ask, but experiences shape a person, Jake knew that well enough. He had to ponder just how many people had rejected him to make Dirk try to keep his secret even so far into their relationship. Dirk had done it well, really, and if it weren't for him getting suspicious and fearing some form of addiction, Jake wondered if Dirk would have kept his secret forever. It would be understandable, but a pang of hurt hit him at the idea that Dirk felt the need to hide who he was for fear of being persecuted or abandoned.

It was sad, really, and Jake still felt bad for putting him through so much stress and anxiety over forcing it out of him that he ended up weak and underfed. If Jake had any inkling of an idea that Dirk wasn't human at that time, he would not have pressed so hard, and he _definitely_ would not have staged what he thought was a much needed intervention.

It had been so peaceful leading up to that point, and Jake regretted doing it a little bit, though he was glad he knew what was going on now. The worry would have surely killed him if he had stayed quiet, but he was glad Dirk wasn't doing anything inherently dangerous. Sure, there was the possibility of being noticed by a vampire hunter, but at least he wouldnt be shot by a drug dealer.

Jake paused, wondering if vampire hunters used guns or if the stake thing was true. Upon thinking on it more, he realized he would have to ask Dirk more questions, specifically related to what exactly hurts a vampire and if any of the lore he had read was true.

He would also have to ask about whether bites are painful, though he assumed they likely would be, but he doubted Dirk would tell him the truth if there was any kind of positive side effect. Part of him wanted to ask for it during sex, because surely a little pain wouldn't hurt-- they'd had their fair share of play with sadomasochism, and Jake was rather fond of it. Admittedly, Dirk would probably deny him, but he supposed it was worth a shot.

_I'll seduce him then!_ Jake thought to himself, planning. Perhaps he could ambush Dirk tonight if all was well; he had noticed that little drop in libido and knew feeding night was coming up. Perhaps it would be striking a little prematurely, but he supposed doing it early was better than missing it completely.

Jake tapped the rim of his cup absently, still considering his options. He would like to help, even if Dirk didn't neccesarily _want_ his help. He had been keeping an eye on him for weeks now, and really he just wanted to prevent any mishaps. Especially since Jake was sure he would hunt down anyone who tried to hurt Dirk, and he really didn't want to have to do that. He loved Dirk and would certainly end up doing it, but he didn't particularly want to be arrested. Not to mention, someone who could take on a vampire could prove to be a challenging opponent.

Frowning, Jake ran a hand over his face, pausing to check the clock on the wall. He had a bit of time before he had to leave, so he settled down at the kitchen table, still tapping his now-lukewarm coffee cup. His mind was still busy, thinking over how best to handle the whole situation. It really was quite the clusterfuck, if he did say so himself-- and he certainly did. It was a long, quiet moment before Jake realized what he could do about it.

He could straight up seduce him, he'd kept Dirk in bed more nights this week than he had in a while, save for last night due to the project, as it had been a bit of a wild week for a reason that Jake wasn't really sure of. Admittedly, he had noticed the past few days that Dirk had slowly had a libido drop, and where the beginning of the week had been more than a little ridiculous, the past few had been rather vanilla. He had noticed that leading up to the night Dirk needed to feed it was like that, so perhaps he wasn't early at all.

He knew it would probably not be terribly pleasant, but if he timed this correctly, based on the flop in his sex drive, it may very well be tonight. Again, Jake wondered, what the bite would be like, should he be able to pull this plan off. He stopped his tapping and took a sip of his coffee, frown depending at the borderline-cold liquid.

He would definitely need to microwave it, and so he frowned, cursing himself for being so lost in thought as he stood and placed his cup in the microwave and setting the timer for one minute. Just the idea of letting Dirk take his blood made him jittery, the idea of tricking him into it was even more exciting, though he did have to wonder what Dirk would think of that. Surely, he would be upset, but Dirk wasnt really one to overreact-- not usually, at least. To be fair, though, he had never tried any kind of scheme to help him, and certainly not a scheme of this particular nature.

The microwave timer went off surprisingly fast, and actually startled him a little, and Jake re-stirred it, testing before deciding it was good enough. He pulled on his jacket, glancing back up at the clock and sighing.

It was certainly going to be a _long_ day at work.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yall better appreicate this almost 5k word porn chapter I stg it took me forever to edit and probably still missed some shit

Jake was home first, and he had stopped out to pick up the cake he had ordered from Jane's bakery a week ago, a little celebratory surprise for Dirk. He was sure everything would go smoothly, Dirk was nothing if not thorough, after all!

He placed the cake box down in the table, glancing at the clock and pulling out a nice bottle of wine from the fridge, placing it right next to the cake and setting out a pair of their few nice wine glasses. Dirk always thought they seemed obnoxious, but Jake insisted they have at least five for holidays when Roxy, Jane, and Dave came over. Admittedly, it was rare that Dave showed up, but sometimes he surprised them and actually came by for holidays.

Jake set out a pair of plates for the cake and then silverware to go with it, glancing over his work momentarily before heading into the bathroom. He had about an hour to an hour and a half to clean up and make sure he was as seductive as possible, so he stripped and headed into the shower to do just that.

• • •

When Jake stepped out of the shower, clean both inside and out, he jogged into the bedroom. If he was going to seduce Dirk when he was guarded and reluctant, he would have to really look the part!

Pulling open one of his dresser drawers, Jake ruffled through for the stupid little spandex shorts Dirk had gotten for him a couple Christmases back as a joke, but gosh they sure got him going when Jake decided to humor him and wear them. He finally found them, near the bottom, and quickly changed into them, grinning to himself lightly when he pulled the bottom of one leg out and it made a snapping sound as he released it. He buttoned them up, the little silver snaps quick to both do up _and_ undo.

His usual jacket and t-shirt were changed out for a sleeveless, black button-up dress shirt and bowtie, and he trotted over to the bathroom to look at himself and make sure the tie was straight before heading back into the kitchen.

Oh yes, he most definitely had this in the bag!

He sat down at the table to wait, biting back a grin when the rumble of Dirk's bike sounded outside the apartment, the orange and black Kawasaki sputtering to a stop as Dirk pulled into his parking spot. Jake's leg bounced impatiently, listening as Dirk climbed the stairs to their apartment, keys jingling as he unlocked the door.

Gosh! He locked it! Damn habits! Jake chided himself a little for that, but supposed if Dirk wasn't paying attention, the locked door would make it that much more of a surprise.

Dirk's jaw literally dropped open when he took off his bike helmet and turned to see his boyfriend.

"Close your mouth, love. You'll catch flies doing that," Jake teased, standing and turning to show him. "What do you think?"

"I think you look way too hot for just celebrating my robot," Dirk replied, closing his mouth, but the way his eyes raked over Jake brought a flush to the ravenette's face.

"Well, this is the big break you were waiting for," Jake reasoned, stepping toward him and leaning up to give him a chaste little kiss. Dirk followed his lips when he pulled back, but Jake's hand was on his tie, pulling the Strider forward.

"Fuck, baby, you look great," he said again, letting Jake pull him along toward the hallway until he suddenly paused. "Wait, Jake, I've gotta go out tonight. Totally fucking forgot with how sexy you look."

"Aw, don't go, love," Jake said, stepping toward him again, and Dirk sighed, obviously _very_ tempted to stay.

"Jake, baby, I've gotta go out--" he tried to argue, but Jake's arms locked around his neck, dragging him down. Jake heard him curse quietly under his breath.

"Stay. Please. Let's celebrate! I even got a cake!" Jake replied, only to add, a little more salaciously, "Today was a big day for you, maybe I should treat you?"

He watched Dirk's eyes narrow a bit, but his hands landed on Jake's hips anyway, sliding up his sides. Jake pulled him down into a kiss, and Dirk relented, nipping along his bottom lip for a moment before prying Jake's mouth open with his tongue.

 _Success!_ Jake thought to himself, though he really couldn't think about much more with Dirk's mouth distracting him.

Dirk's tongue trailed over his teeth, and Jake reciprocated in kind, only to be surprised when he felt sharp teeth in the place Dirk's usually dull canines should be. It made his heart flutter a little, and he couldn't help himself when he ran his tongue over them, fingers tangled in Dirk's gelled blonde hair. It was strange to feel it smoothed back, but he wasn't about to complain-- if he was completely successful in his mission, it would be messed up soon enough.

Dirk pulled back for a moment, though Jake could feel Dirk's erection pressing into his hip through his black slacks.

"Jake--" he tried again, but Jake shushed him. 

He looked up at his boyfriend, putting on his best pleading expression, though once he had Dirk's attention his puppydog eyes turned into a bedroom stare. He watched Dirk's head bow a little, as if compelled to do as he asked, and Jake wet his lips. The proximity was almost intoxicating, Dirk's citrusy musk wonderful and all too alluring.

"Dirk, please," he murmured, leaning in so his mouth was only a few inches away from Dirk's. "I want you. No, I _need_ you."

"Baby, I really don't think this is a good idea," he managed, trying his best to protest, but Jake could see the way Dirk's eyes flicked down to his lips, obviously wanting to do it, despite knowing he shouldn't.

"It doesn't have to be a good idea," Jake replied, voice breathy, and Dirk took a deep breath.

"Fuck, Jake," he all but growled, voice husky, golden eyes heavy-lidded and filled to the brim with want. "We really shouldn't."

"Please?"

Dirk pushed him back against the wall with the single word, Jake's eyes closing when Dirk leaned in to kiss him again. It was harsh, and Jake couldn't help the breathy moan he released when Dirk pinned his wrists to the wall behind him, mouth breaking from his to travel along his jaw. He let Dirk do it, knowing full well what he was doing, riling Dirk up like that, he'd been keeping track of the way Dirk's feeding cycle worked.

After learning about vampire hunters, Jake had decided that he would help Dirk whether he wanted help or not-- he wouldn't risk losing him over something so simple as pride.

So, with resolve, Jake had taken to right seducing Dirk, he had been planning all day. He wasn't about to let Dirk leave tonight, and though his breath hitched when Dirk's mouth touched his throat, he purposefully tipped his head away in response, giving him more than enough room.

It started as just kisses and hickeys, but before long he could feel the scrape of elongated incisors against his skin. For a moment, Dirk faltered, moving to pull away, and again Jake pleaded with him not to.

"Dirk-- _please,_ I want you to."

That seemed to do it for him, and Dirk's mouth was back at his throat. Again, it was only hickeys and kisses, but Jake shivered when the mouth on his skin trailed along the side of his neck, searching for where the pulse was strongest. Finally, Dirk settled on a spot, sucking hard and working bruises into his skin, hands tightening their grasp on his wrists.

Despite expecting it, Jake swore loudly when he bit down, surprisingly painful and in no way the romanticized vision of vampires he had expected. It was like being stabbed in the friggin' neck! Even with the pain, he didn't try to push Dirk back, waiting patiently for him to finish. Initially, when Dirk withdrew his teeth, Jake was a little confused, and the quickness of it had him wondering if he'd been caught in the plan, but Dirk's mouth sealing around the bite said otherwise.

The pulling sensation that followed was surreal, Dirk still pressed close along him, the two chest to chest, and Jake was sure he'd melt if Dirk kept it up. The way his head spun and the warm suction of Dirk's mouth soothed the initial burning pain of the bite had Jake leaning his head back against the wall, trusting Dirk's control even as his fingers tingled from the tight grip on his wrists.

When Dirk pulled away this time, his tongue snaked out to catch the little streams of blood that dripped down Jake's neck with his retreat, though he still hadn't seemed to realize what Jake had managed to lure him into. It took Dirk a surprisingly long moment to come out of his haze, but when he did he was furious, though mostly at himself. Jake shook his hands out when Dirk released them, the skin already blooming with light bruises, as though he'd been handcuffed. His face felt like it was burning, and despite his resolve to just feed Dirk, he couldn't help himself when he dragged Dirk into a kiss. Initially, Dirk actually pulled away from him, angry, but Jake's arms had already locked around his neck.

"I'm really pissed at you," Dirk said, though he ultimately gave in, and Jake couldn't help the light smile he made against Dirk's lips, glad his boyfriend hadn't overreacted about it. He could taste his own blood on his tongue, sharp and metallic, but the idea that Dirk had taken something so precious from him, had finally crossed that last intimate boundary, was more than enough to let him overlook the strangeness and slight grossness of it.

He couldn't restrain the surprised noise that slipped out when Dirk picked him up and slammed him back into the wall, all but attacking Jake's throat with kisses and love bites. Jake's legs wrapped around him and his hands tangled in his boyfriend's hair, keeping Dirk close and again offering himself if he chose to take it. He didn't, and Jake was actually surprised at the disappointment that stirred in him at the rejection.

That feeling of rejection faded quickly when Dirk bit down on his collarbone, a punishment for being tricked, and Jake let out a choked moan at the sensation. Dirk was quick to drag his shirt off, mouth reaquainting itself with Jake's now-bare chest. He was already hard, pressed into Jake's ass through their clothes and grinding up against him. Absently, Jake thought if this was his reward for feeding Dirk, he'd gladly do it for the rest of his life, especially if it kept him safe.

"You--" Dirk started, before giving him another dull bite in punishment. "--are in big trouble."

"Oh?" Jake asked, though it came out breathy and sounding more like a moan than a word. He cursed himself internally for not sounding a little more confident.

"Yeah. You knew what you were doing, didn't you?" He asked, though his voice cracked a little when Jake titled his head away and a small stream of blood dribbled down from the bite. "You did this on purpose."

"Well, of--" he barely restrained a gasp when Dirk licked a slow, long stripe up his throat, catching the thin rivulets of red that left the wound with every movement. "Of-- of course I d-did."

"You knew I didn't want to do that to you. It hurts, I know that well enough," Dirk accused, though he forced Jake's head further back and ran his tongue over the bite again. The roughness had Jake shaking from anticipation-- he'd never seen Dirk so worked up over something _he_ did, and it was absolutely thrilling.

"I-- ah!" Jake cut himself off with a gasp when one of Dirk's hands all but ripped open his shorts and a hand acquainted itself with his manhood. Oh yes, this was going to be fun! He'd never had angry sex before, but gosh, if the lead up to it was anything to go off of, he would definitely want to do it again.

"So much trouble," Dirk said again, though Jake thought if this was his version of trouble, it certainly didn't seem like something to be afraid of.

"Y-you wanted it, though," Jake teased lightly, breathlessly, and Dirk actually _growled_ against his skin. It was enough to make him melt and it had Jake swearing under his breath.

All of a sudden, he felt weightless, his back no longer against the wall, and his head spun for a moment before he was all but tossed into their bed, bouncing a little when he hit the mattress. It took him a second to understand how Dirk had managed that so quickly, but remembered that neat flash-step-thingy Dave had shown him. He had still yet to see Dirk do it, but it certainly was impressive-- and a quite effective way to get into the room in hardly a split second.

He didn't have much time to ponder it, what with Dirk crawling after him onto the bed and pinning his wrists over his head.

"Dirk--" he managed, nowhere near afraid and more turned on than he swore he ever had been in his life. Again, Jake thought that if this was trouble he'd gladly get into more.

"Shut up," Dirk's snapped reply was full of authority, and Jake's breath caught as his boyfriend went into a completely dominant headspace. It had been a while since he'd done it, since Jake knew damn well Dirk liked it when he took the lead, but gosh it was _wonderful._

Dirk learned down to ravage his neck, absolutely covering it in hickeys and rough love bites, and Jake all but melted. Hadn't he been so distracted, he would have noticed when one of Dirk's hands moved to the bedside drawer. It was only when a pair of handcuffs clicked into place and locked around his wrists that he realized what Dirk was doing, and it was thrilling. It had been _so_ long since Dirk had done anything of the sort, not to say they hadn't gotten kinky recently, but this was going to be good, Jake already knew it.

He was surprised again when he opened his eyes at the feeling of velvet around his throat, knowing full well that it was the green collar they had gotten a while ago for one of Dirk's weird little fantasies, and Jake lifted himself up a little to let Dirk secure it, but to his confusion, his boyfriend put it on backwards. It was only when Dirk reached around behind him and tugged his arms down, clipping the chain of the handcuffs to the little connector on the front of the collar that he understood. Oh, _God,_ this was going to be incredible if Dirk was worked up enough to want to restrain him so much.

He watched Dirk rock back onto his knees, one hand sliding up Jake's torso to slowly pop the buttons on his shirt and pull one side the bowtie so it undid and slid off from around his neck. He was doing it torturously slowly, and Jake was sure he was doing it on purpose, tensing a little when Dirk's chilly fingertips trailed up his abdomen and over his chest.

After a moment of teasing, Dirk pulled back again, and Jake watched him toss his blazer off the side of the bed, pulling at the knot on his tie with one hand to undo it. Honestly, Dirk looked stunning in formal wear, and if he could finagle him into wearing it more, he certainly would. Unfortunately, it seemed they were reserved for their anniversary and important work meetings.

Really, it was more that Jake loved the way he looked as he took them off, confident and knowing damn well he looked good. The flippant way he pulled the tie off was ridiculously sexy, and Jake was sure it was mainly due to the headspace he was in at the moment-- he had been _bad,_ and Dirk knew how to punish him in just the right way.

Speaking of Dirk, his eyes were on Jake as his tie followed the blazer off the side of the bed, and a part of Jake kind of wanted to ruin Dirk's work clothes one day-- make him a mess in them and tease until they were all wrinkled and absolutely unrecognizable and Dirk's professional persona was completely wrecked by him.

Today was not that day, though. Today, Dirk was popping the buttons on his orange dress shirt, undoing his cuffed sleeves, and pulling it off. He was making a show of it, and Jake was well aware of that.

Dirk leaned back over him after he had balled the shirt up and tossed it away, fingers playing under the waistband of his spandex shorts. He dragged a hand down the front, and Jake barely restrained the urge to press up into his hand, knowing Dirk wouldn't give in to him so easily. As expected, Dirk runs a hand under one of the legholes of his shorts, finger catching it and pulling it up as far as it would go before letting it snap back down. Jake gasped at the feeling, the spandex stinging his legs like he'd been whipped. His arms pulled against the cuffs involuntarily, and Jake choked himself by accident, belatedly realizing why Dirk had chosen to cuff them behind him.

He watched a sly grin spread across Dirk's lips when he realized it, and his boyfriend chuckled darkly at the look on his face.

"Don't pull too hard," he crooned, though the tone was one of mockery, and Jake shivered as his fingers again slipped under the spandex of his shorts. The next snap was quick and just as painful as the first, and this time he couldn't restrain the keen that spilled out. Dirk leaned down to mouth over his chest as his hand moved to Jake's other thigh, and by the time the third snap came, he was shaking, gasping out Dirk's name.

His hot mouth closed over one of Jake's nipples, sucking and running his tongue over the little nub just as he snapped the spandex for the fourth time. Jake's hands clenched into fists, and then he was pleading with Dirk _please, please, God, more!_

Dirk gave into his pleading, one hand reaching over to rub his now painful hard-on through the spandex, still snapping it against his skin and mouthing his chest. The mix of sensations was wonderful and dizzying and absolutely out of this world, and Jake couldn't have asked for anything better.

Suddenly, Dirk pulled back and away completely, and Jake whined quietly at the loss. His boyfriend laughed lightly at the response, murmuring, "You really are impatient, huh?"

"Please," he managed, watching Dirk slide his pants off and reach for Jake's shorts. The snaps were already undone from earlier, so they slid off with minimal effort, though Jake shuddered when the cold metal brushed over his cock as Dirk dragged the offending article off his body.

Dirk still had his boxers on, and he leaned over, rutting against Jake's erection with his own clothed one. The friction was debilitating, and Jake tossed his head back, gasping. The slide of the fabric was a little painful, to be honest, but it was much better than being trapped in those spandex hell-shorts, and with Dirk in complete control he didn't dare complain. He knew damn well Dirk could and _would_ tease and edge him for hours if he acted up, he had enough experience with that to know better.

The pressure against his groin was distracting enough that Jake didn't notice when Dirk retrieved the lube until he heard the pop of a cap and Dirk's rutting came to a stop. His disappointment at the stop turned startled when Dirk flipped him over with a flourish, and Jake glanced over his shoulder to watch Dirk with a dark flush that reached all the way to the tips of his ears. The hand not coated in lube massaged over his ass before drawing back a ways, and Jake knew what was coming before it happened.

Despite fully expecting it, the spank had him crying out Dirk's name, shaking in anticipation of the next one. Dirk didn't disappoint, though he did make Jake wait an excruciatingly long moment before cracking his palm over his boyfriend's ass again.

A third didn't come, and instead Dirk pressed a finger inside him. Jake groaned, face pressing into the pillow, only to yelp in surprise when the third hit came out of nowhere, hand slamming down on the same cheek he had abused with the first two strikes. Dirks hand smoothed over his ass, surprisingly gentle after all the punishment, and Jake buried his burning face into the cool pillowcase, though it didnt stay cool for long with his heavy breathing. Fingers curled inside him when Dirk slid a second in next to the first, and he rocked back against them, despite knowing that Dirk was purposefully avoiding his prostate just because he could.

Dirk leaned down to kiss over the small of his back as he worked Jake open, murmuring soft praises into his skin that only made Jake melt further, as if he wasn't already like putty beneath him. His skilled hands were torment, his gentle kisses insult to injury, and Jake just wanted him to get _on_ with it, dagnabit! The wait was killing him, every slow press of his fingers torturously sweet and far too little.

A third finger slips inside him, and he moans when they separate inside him, forcing him open. Jake's hands fist in his own hair to keep himself busy-- and also to keep him from accidentally choking himself again.

After an absurdly long time, Dirk finally stroked over his prostate, just a fleeting brush of his index finger, but it was more than enough to have Jake shaking and pushing back again, begging for more. Dirk's mouth dragged over his back again, this time his teeth scraping over the skin, and despite his resolve, Jake's arms jolted and his groan cut off when the tightly-fitted collar choked him.

"Fuck, Jake, you're so sexy like this," Dirk murmured, doing it again, and Jake barely restrained the urge to pull at the restraints again. "We should do this more often. I love watching you ride me, but damn seeing you squirm is so fucking hot."

Jake's face burned at the way he spoke, but he couldn't help but glance back when Dirk withdrew his fingers, finally, _finally_ dragging his boxers off, rolling on a condom, and slicking himself up.

He sank in slowly, as careful and measured as always, and they sighed together when Dirk was completely inside, mouth at Jake's shoulder and littering his skin with little kisses. He waited, as always, until Jake had relaxed before moving, each of the initial rolls of his hips slow and gentle.

Jake moved his head as far out of the way as he could with the restraints, arms shaking as he made room for Dirk's lips to suck bruises into his back and neck. Part of him wished Dirk would bite again, like this, moving so slowly and really just lavishing him with attention. They'd had their fair share of nights just like this, minus the restraints of course, where everything was gentle and measured and where neither really wanted to reach the end because the intimacy was what mattered, not the end goal. It was usually on nights where they had been really aggressive and kinky earlier on, and it was a fantastic way to wind down. Jake really did love it when he was like this, even if it was a rather vanilla way to make love.

The slow pace lasted a surprisingly long time, and by the time Dirk kicked it up a notch, Jake's cock was weeping precum and Dirk's breathing was getting heavy against his skin. It was a gradual increase, but with every little bit of added speed, Jake encouraged him with gasped pleas. When he was finally pressing in with insistence and force, Jake again turned his head to the side, the position a little uncomfortable when he tried to drop his shoulder down, feeling the tight chord of muscle connecting his shoulder and neck stretch taught at the strain.

To his surprise, this time Dirk took what he was offered, though Jake was sure it was just out of punishment rather than need. He bit back a gasp when Dirk's sharp teeth again sank into his shoulder, right into the connecting muscle, but this time there was no retraction of them, no release from the foreign feeling of the pair of sharp canines penetrating his skin. He wasn't sure how he felt about that, but the way Dirk was pressing into him and aiming for his prostate quickly redirected his mind. The pain from the bite honestly mixed rather perfectly with the roughness of Dirk's movements, and Jake just wished his hands were free so he could hold onto his boyfriend.

Dirk's insistent thrusts gradually ramped up in speed, and Jake's gasped as he repeatedly hit that spot that made him unravel completely. He was all but chanting Dirk's name between moans and pleas, absolutely over the moon that his plan had gone so well. Gosh, he never planned for this, but he'd be damned if he wouldn't try it again.

Jake writhed beneath him as he felt his peak building, gasping and pulling against his restraints-- though that only served to temporarily cut off his air every time he did. When Dirk's hand dipped down to grip him, Jake's arms jerked and bumped Dirk's head, stopping the breath in he was taking, and the mix of sensations was enough to shove him off the edge with a strangled cry.

Dirk's bite only got harsher as he rode out Jake's orgasm toward his own, a groan escaping him, muffled against Jake's skin. He was shaking, gasping at the overstimulation as Dirk continued to rock into him, and just as Jake was wondering if his nerves could handle anymore, Dirk was pressing all the way in and stopping with a shudder as he hit his own peak.

It was a long, quiet moment before Dirk pulled away from him, Jake's shoulder throbbing when his fangs withdrew, arms aching.

The first thing he did, thank god, was release Jake's restraints, and his arms all but flopped onto the mattress, tingling and aching painfully. He was absolutely spent, listening to Dirk slide the condom off, leaning over to the bedside table to grab a handful of tissues to wipe himself off before pulling Jake up into his chest and doing the same to him.

"Mm... love you," Jake managed, voice a little rough, and Dirk kissed over his cheek and jaw.

"Love you too, baby," he replied, voice soft. Once he had cleaned the cum off of both of them, he looked over the bites he left on Jake, hands massaging Jake's back and arms. "Didn't mean to bite you so hard, baby, sorry about that."

Jake shook his head tiredly, leaning back against Dirks chest and just enjoying the way he soothed the sore muscles. His words slurred a little from exhaustion when he chided Dirk for his apology, "No, don't be sorry. Was wonderful."

"You're too good to me. I've never met someone who actively goes out of their way to _make_ a vampire bite them," There was a hint of humor in his tone, and Jake turned his head to kiss up along Dirk's jaw.

"Seem to be a lot of firsts with me, hmm?"

"Yeah, hell of a lot," Dirk affirmed, laying both of them down on the side of the bed they hadn't absolutely ruined, shoving the still-connected handcuffs and collar off the side of the bed. "You okay?"

"Absoposolutely magnificent," Jake mumbled, sleepiness taking over as he turned over and curled into Dirk, who chuckled quietly and wrapped Jake in his arms.

"Love you," he said again, and Jake mumbled it back to him as he drifted off to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy mothers day y'all

Jake woke in a panic at about three in the morning, startling Dirk into consciousness.

"The cake!" He cried, climbing out of Dirk's arms and over him, scrambling off the bed and tugging on a pair of pajama pants before darting into the kitchen.

Dirk rubbed his eyes and sat up, hair a mess of bedhead and the light from Jake flipping switches carelessly making him squint as he reached for his shades. He could hear Jake chiding himself from a few rooms over, and crawled out of bed significantly slower than his boyfriend.

"You goshdarn fuddy-duddy, Jake! You left the damn cake and the wine out! Argh!"

Dirk chuckled to himself as he pulled on just his boxers and headed down the hall, yawning as he got to the kitchen where Jake was shoving the cakebox into the fridge and struggling to figure out where to put the wine bottle. It was adorable, even if Dirk hadn't exactly appreciated being ripped out of sleep by Jake's cake-related panic. He was still muttering to himself when Dirk walked over to wrap his arms around Jake's waist, head resting on his shoulder.

Jake startled a little at the contact, "Strider! I hadn't even heard you come in! You gave me a spook!"

He laughed lightly, pressing his face to the side of Jake's neck. "Sorry, baby."

Jake reached up to ruffle his hair, smiling, and closed the fridge 

"Y'didn't have to put it away, we could've eaten some," Dirk commented, and Jake huffed.

"Oh, so _now_ you want the cake," he replied, and Dirk smiled against his skin. "I finally got the darn thing to fit in the fridge!"

"I'll put it away if we eat some. Fucking that hard kind of worked up an appetite. Unless you want me to just eat you," Dirk said, before nuzzling further into his neck, mouthing at his skin until Jake wiggled and laughed.

"Ah! That tickles! Dirk, noooo!" He cried, pushing at his boyfriend's face and squirming out of his grasp. "Those damn sunglasses are pointy and they tickle!"

Dirk caught him by the waist again and went after him for a second time, purposefully tickling him until Jake shrieked and the neighbor to their right pounded on the wall and yelled at them to _Shut the fuck up!_

"Alright, alright! We'll have the freakin cake! Devilfucking Dickens, Dirk, we don't need a noise complaint!" Jake managed, breathing heavy from the tickle attack as he reached back into the fridge and pulled out the cake. There was a smile on his face despite his chiding, and he set the box back down on the table.

Dirk flipped the lid open, grinning and shaking his head at the fancy icing letters that were no doubt Jane's.

_Congratulations on your big break, Dirk!_

Jake headed over with a cake spatula and a knife, cutting into the it with a smile. He wiggled the first piece carefully out and placed it on its side on one of the plates, handing it to Dirk. Dirk watched him cut a piece for himself and settle down before taking a forkful and putting it in his mouth.

"Damn good cake," he commented around a mouthful, and Jake _tsk_ ed at him talking while eating. He swallowed his own first bite before nodding and then turning to chide Dirk.

"Manners, love. Talking with your mouth full is a little gross."

Dirk shrugged, swallowing, and replied, "You do it all the time when you babble around my dick."

Jake stammered out something completely unintelligible, choking, and Dirk wasn't even sure it was supposed to be in English. _"Dirk!"_

"That's my name," he said sarcastically, and Jake gave him a light shove, face flushed.

They were quiet for a moment, but Dirk's eyes flicked to the dark bruises around the bites he left. One was out of being lured, sure, and wasn't that bad, but the other... yeesh. He'd done it in the heat of the moment and it was pretty nasty. Dirk couldn't really help himself with the other one still bleeding when they got into the bedroom, but damn he felt bad.

Jake didn't seem to mind, eating his cake as if nothing was amiss and occasionally scratching absently at the little scabbed punctures on his neck.

"Hey, are you sure you're okay?" Dirk asked, and Jake turned to him with visible confusion. Dirk had put his fork down, half his piece still left on his plate, though Jake was nearly done.

"What?"

"You're okay, right?" Dirk asked again, and he watched it click on Jake's expression before his boyfriend rolled his eyes.

"Love, I'm fine. A little bruising and sucky-sucky isn't going to kill me." Dirk couldn't help the way his lips quirked in a badly hidden smile at his wording, but nodded. "I donate blood every so often, you hardly took any."

"Actually--" he tried, but Jake wasn't finished.

"And frankly I don't care how much you took, because that was fantastic," he continued. "Rather spectacular, actually. Why didn't we do this earlier?"

"Because, A: you didn't know I was a vampire, and B: I didn't want to do it in the first place because it hurts like a bitch."

Jake gave him a nonplussed look and huffed, setting his fork down, last bite of cake still on it. "Dirk, you were being unreasonable. I know what I can handle, and so should you by now! Golly, Strider, I'm not sure if you noticed, but that bite certainly raised quite the tent on my end."

Dirk took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Yeah. I saw. But I still didn't really want to bite you, and you lured me into it knowing exactly what would happen. You tricked me, and I don't appreciate that."

"Oh, lighten up, Strider," Jake replied, brushing it off and reclaiming his fork to finish off his cake. After a moment, he swallowed and looked pointedly at Dirk. "You know as well as I do that I'm rather protective of you, and I'm not about to stand by and let you get boffed."

Frowning, Dirk sat back in his chair a little. "That's not the point--"

"Well, you shut me down every time I tried to convince you, so I'm not really sure what exactly the point _is,_ " he interrupted, and Dirk's frown only deepened, etched into his features like a crack in a statue.

"The _point_ is that you were watching for the day I needed to feed so that you could swoop in and decide _for_ me whether I was going out or not."

"Yes, and?" Jake asked, obviously seeing no issue with that. "If it keeps you safe I'd do it again. As a matter of fact, I _plan_ to do it again."

"We aren't doing it again."

"Dirk!" He snapped, irritated. "I thought I got you over this!"

"Well, you thought wrong. We're getting a dog, do you really think the dog would be chill with me attacking you once a week?"

"You're deflecting," Jake accused, and Dirk cursed internally.

"I'm being realistic. You can't give me a pint a week. Hell, you can't even give me a _half_ pint a week, Jake. The human body can't handle that. Even the red cross only lets people donate every-- what, sixty days?"

"Fifty-six," Jake corrected quietly.

"Exactly. I can't just eat every fifty-six days, Jake. I love you to death, but not literally. You'd either die, or get super sick. Unless you plan to end up with sympathetic vampirism, anemia, and number of crazy blood disorders, we're not doing that."

Jake's expression grew thoughtful, but there was a grimace on his face.

Belatedly, Dirk added, "If you're really so adamant about it, we can do it occasionally, like once every two or three months, but I'm not going to put you in danger just because you're stubborn."

"Well, of course I want to, but I was hoping for a better outcome than that," Jake muttered, obviously unhappy.

"Its just not feasible, baby. I'm sorry, but I'm not gonna do something that's gonna beat the shit out of your immune system and give you a chronic iron deficiency."

Jake didn't respond, so Dirk pulled his over, dragging Jake into his arms. "I'm fine, I've survived twenty-six years of this bullshit and I'll be damned if I dont survive another twenty-six at least."

Jake mumbled something he didn't quite catch into his bare chest, and so Dirk continued.

"Plus, I've got you now, baby. Most of the times that I've been cornered or in a bad spot, it was because I told somebody I was in a relationship with. I don't have to tell anybody else."

He felt Jake frown against his skin, his boyfriend's arms wrapping tight around his back. "I don't know how someone can change their mind so quickly and want to hurt someone they were supposed to care about."

Dirk huffed a little, "Yeah, frankly neither do I."

"Why was Dave so upset you hadn't told me?" He asked suddenly, looking up at Dirk from only inches away, and he sighed, knocking his head back.

"Well, mainly because he knew the longer I waited the worse it would be if you were to turn on me. I kind of knew you wouldn't, but I was still kinda concerned about it, because I had been sure in the past, too. Confidence doesn't exactly mean you're right."

Jake pondered that for a moment, then asked, "What-- what exactly have people done to you?"

"Jesus, uh..." Dirk raised one hand to tick off the things that have happened to him because of being honest. "I've been blackmailed to quit my job, had a boyfriend who knew hunters act like everything was fine and then turn around and give his hunter friend my address, which actually almost got Bro killed because he was the only one home. I've had people stab me, had a friend I thought was trustworthy turn out to be a hunter herself, that was fuckin' great, bitch cornered me one time. All of us had to skip town, that's how we ended up here, actually-- and the whole reason I transferred into your and Janey's highschool. Roxy was pissed about it, but she's a social butterfly, so she was fine."

"She transferred later, too, though," Jake added, and Dirk nodded.

"Yeah, she bugged her mom for, like, two years and finally got emancipated. That's why shes been living on her own since she was seventeen," Dirk explained, and Jake smiled lightly.

"I always thought it was very cool when we all would go to see Roxy and it was _her_ apartment, since we all lived with family."

"She said it was really boring until she forced me to room with her for the second half of senior year."

Jake laughed, patting his chest, "I remember that! You were upset about it because you had to give up your bed for the futon in her living room because Bro told you to go keep her safe!"

"Yeah, I think he was just being a dick because he could. Better than Bro's shitty apartment, at least."

They're quiet for a moment before Jake asked, "How long did you like me for, anyway? Because, I know I was a pining mess for you long before I tried to date Jane."

Dirk chuckled at the fact that Jake said _tried._

"Jesus, I mean, we met in, what, sophomore year when Janey introduced me to you?" He asked, and Dirk nodded. "Probably 'bout a week before I was totally whipped and had my gay awakening."

Jake laughed at him, but Dirk just smiled back. "Really? It only took you a week of knowing me?"

"Uh, yeah? Pretty sure everybody's had a crush on you at some point. Roxy sure as shit did, but I called dibs-- and then you started dating Jane and I assumed I had no chance. Kinda gave up for a long time, honestly, even after you guys broke up. Bro code and all that shit, didn't want to make Janey feel bad."

Jake smacked him on the chest. "Dummy, if I knew you were interested I would have said something."

"Ditto."

"Don't you _ditto_ me! You're the one who's hard to read!"

"And you're dense as fuck," Dirk replied, running a hand down Jake's back and rubbing gently until he melted into Dirk's chest. "I asked you to date me, like, four times on Skype in highschool and you thought I was joking. Same thing in college."

"W-well you never specified that you _weren't_ kidding!" He defended, still putty under Dirk's hand.

"I'm, like, one of the most serious people you know, dude."

"Well, yes, but you always did stupid little things for your muddled and inconceivable ironic purposes, so it was always hard to tell when you were joking! Until you asked me in person with that stupid bouquet of roses, I assumed it was some running joke of which I was the butt!"

"I thought you liked roses," Dirk replied flatly.

"I do, I do! But that was the last thing I expected from The Great Dirk Strider, _Dickprince Extraordinaire, Master of All Things Ironic_!"

Dirk laughed at the title, reaching down and pinching Jake on the ass in retaliation for the sass in his words. He yelped and batted the hand away, glowering, and Dirk just grinned at him. "Are you aware you have a very pinchable ass?"

"Are you aware you're _being_ an ass?" Jake returned in the same tone, but let Dirk lean in to kiss him anyway. When Dirk pulled away, Jake reached for his fork and fed him a bite of cake. "You wanted this so you had better not waste even the tiniest smidgen of icing!"

Dirk bit back a laugh around his cake, letting Jake shove the fork into his mouth.

• • •

They had gone back to bed after Jake essentially force-fed Dirk his cake, explaining that Dirk was obligated to finish it, and Dirk had playfully refused, which ended in Jake accidentally shoving the fork into his upper gums. Jake had apologized profusely when Dirk pulled back, bleeding, and dropped the fork on the floor in his flurry to make sure he was okay.

Currently, Jake was wrapped in his arms, sleeping soundly. Dirk had the day off, so he figured it wouldnt hurt to stay up a bit longer. He was petting through Jake's hair, lips pressed to his forehead where Jake's sleeping form was tucked into him. He had a lot in his mind, mainly about Jake. Dirk knew his boyfriend was worried for his safety, but he wasn't about to get himself killed, hed been doing it for one and a half decades on his own, Bro provided for he and Dave for quite a while before teaching them how to feed very carefully. He wasn't worried, even if Jake was.

His petting paused momentarily as he thought about his older brother, knowing he sacrificed an insane amount of time to feed the two of them until they were old enough to learn to feed themselves. Now that he was older, he could appreciate what Bro had done for them, and thought they should visit him back in Corpus Christi soon. Maybe make a day trip of it, go to the Katy Boardwalk, the amusement park, too. Have a picnic on the beach-- under an umbrella and coated generously with sunscreen, of course.

Man, being a vampire was kind of a bitch when his boyfriend was always wanting to go explore outside in the middle of the day.

Whatever, at least Jake was supportive, even if he might be a little _too_ supportive. Dirk wondered momentarily if it was just because of the trust they shared, or if it was another kinky thing to add to the list. There was a hell of a lot on the list of weird shit Jake was into, so he wouldn't really be surprised either way. Hell, as soon as he found out, he became unbearably curious about anything and everything vampire-related, even putting himself up on offer not even five minutes after being thoroughly convinced.

Dirk resisted the urge to shake his head, instead settling for an eyeroll. God, Jake was fucking ridiculous.

He picked up his petting again, hand trailing down the side of Jake's face and over his jaw, mapping already well-known lines. He couldn't really help it, it had been a habit since they first got intimate, and after Dirk had done it a few times it just became muscle memory. A weird form of stress relief to be able to touch Jake and know he wasn't going anywhere, he guessed.

Man, his abandonment issues were showing.

Dirk ran a thumb blindly over Jake's cheek, then up over his brow ridge, and Jake shuffled a little in his sleep, face tucking right up into the side of Dirk's neck. The vampire hummed a little at that, appreciating the closeness. He moved to continue petting through Jake's hair instead, the angle a little too uncomfortable to keep touching his face.

Jake smelled of cake and shampoo and the lingering scent of sex-- but maybe that was just the bed. He'd wash the sheets when Jake left for work. Soft wisps of dark, curly hair tickled over Dirk's chin and jaw, but he didn't mind. It was nice just to hold him close and murmur little nothings to him, even if Jake wouldn't hear him. He supposed part of him was glad for that, Jake would no doubt tease him and call him a sap if he knew half the things Dirk mumbled to him when they were tangled close like that.

So he did, littering the top of his head with little kisses and whispering things only Jake would ever hear, things he didn't really need to hear and likely already knew. He was pleased when Jake mumbled back something inaudible in response, hand curling into a fist in the waistband of Dirk's boxers. He ran a hand over the back of Jake's neck, then down his back, and over his sides. It was just a fleeting ghost of fingertips so as not to wake him, eyes closed and lips moving as he rambled bullshit near noiselessly.

He reminisced out loud about meeting Jake, about how great he was, about how nice a surprise the cake was-- stupid little things that actually meant a hell of a lot to Dirk, even if Jake brushed them off. Things like coffee with him in the evenings, like taking the occasional nighttime walk to the drug store and being stupid in the grocery store together. Like how he was excited to get a dog with Jake.

He drifted off into slumber still mumbling, hand eventually stilling and arm laying over Jake's side.


End file.
